The cold is now settling in, but we wanted to bring you a heartwarming story of a family’s discovery of Innsbrook and what it means to them, along with their 11-year-old granddaughter who shows her love for Innsbrook in a very unique way!

Fifth-grader Cecilia, her brothers and family often spend time with their grandparents and other Innsbrook friends at a recreational chalet on Grendel Lake, one of more than 100 lakes across Innsbrook’s 7,500 acres – and they definitely know how to make the most of their time here!

One day, Cecilia took her love of crafting, drawing and Innsbrook and combined them into a special project that warmed our hearts and surely brings joy to many: Embroidered patches for “one of her absolute favorite places in the universe” – Innsbrook! Or, as Cecilia and many property owners affectionately refer to it, IBK.

We saw these and knew we needed to find out more about this “IBK kid”.

Where did you learn to make patches like the ones you made for Innsbrook?

“When my family takes an out-of-town trip, we try to find a patch to remember the trip by. So, one morning this summer while at IBK, I was sitting at the kitchen table and the idea just came to me. I remember my brothers and I were sitting there drawing and I couldn’t think of anything to draw so I was just like, hey we’re in Innsbrook so I’ll make an IBK-inspired drawing with paper and markers. When I was finished, everyone was like, ‘Ooh, let’s hang that up!’ We made copies of the drawing and the original is in my room at Innsbrook.”

Do you plan on making anymore Innsbrook-inspired patches?

“In the future I think I probably will. It was really fun making the designs and then seeing what they would look like when turned into a patch made of cloth and string. I would really like to make a unique patch for every lake at Innsbrook.”

What other things have been the subject of your patches?

“My dad and I made our first patch called ‘Camp Grendel’ based on the trees surrounding the lake. My second patch was based on the things I love most at IBK which are nature hikes, swimming, fishing, kayaking and roasting s’mores.”

What do you do with the patches when they’re complete?

“Everyone in our family gets one. My grandparents each have an Innsbrook vest that has our patches on it. We sew ours onto hats or other clothing and we like to frame them and hang them on the wall. We also like to give them to our friends at IBK or families that join us on Grendel for a weekend. This includes our awesome next door IBK neighbors, the Jacksons. I make sure to give patches to the two Mr. Boyces (Ed and Charlie), too.”

What do you enjoy about being at Innsbrook?

“We have a family next door to us, the Jacksons. They have seven kids. We try to coordinate being at IBK at the same time whenever possible. You are never lonely when they are around. I really enjoy spending time with them and playing with them.”

What is your all-time favorite thing to do when you’re with your family at Innsbrook?

“On our lake, Grendel, we have an island in the middle. We always play Wiffle ball on it and many of our neighbors swim, kayak or paddleboard to the island to play, too. I also like to go to the Log Cabin and hiking on the trail that leads to the red barn and the historic cemetery, the Tyrolean Trail. We bring crayons and paper to make a rubbing sketch of the graves. Along the way, we LOVE to play on the hay bales and jump from one to the other.”

What are your favorite animals to see at Innsbrook?

“My favorite animal to see at IBK is probably the fawns, but I love all of them, including the fish, frogs, hawks, bluebirds and turtles. I also like seeing all of the people walking their dogs and other pets. So cute!”

What do you want to be when you grow up?

“I want to be a pediatrician. I think it would be a neat job and I have wanted to be one for a long time. I really like working with little kids and playing with them. I also like helping people. I am not old enough to babysit yet, but when I can, I definitely want to.”

What are some of your hobbies?

“Some of my hobbies are playing soccer, coloring in my doodle books, playing outside and reading magazines. I also like going to concerts with my family, including those at IBK. Some of my favorite bands are the Avett Brothers, the Lumineers and Taylor Swift.”

Thank you, Cecilia!

Cecilia’s grandparents, Stan and Mary Ann, cherish every precious moment spent with their family at their beloved chalet and they were gracious enough to share their “IBK story”, too! Stay tuned for that in next week’s part two of this blog post!